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I am really big on seasonal reading, and I especially love beach reads for summer. I admittedly didn’t make a specific summer reading list last year because I was working two jobs and packing up my life to move across the country!
This summer looks a lot different (in the best way), and reading a beach read while sitting outside is part of my summer bucket list.
I was talking with my close friend and told her I needed to figure out my beach reads for this summer and I said, “I’ll probably read ‘Jaws 2.'”
And she said, “Is that a beach read??”
“Uhhh,” I said. “A shark that attacks beach-goers during a holiday weekend? Yeah, it qualifies!”
She laughed — her definition of a beach read involves a summer romance! To each their own 🙂
Regardless, I looked through my bookshelf and realized that, aside from “Jaws 2,” (I read “Jaws” last summer and loved it) I really didn’t have many summer reads.
So, I scoured the digital shelves of ThriftBooks (I do have a referral code for a free book!) and bought myself a solid little summer stack. I’ll share my list if you’re looking for ideas; these are all backlisted, so they should also be available at the library, too.
Here’s what I’m reading this summer:
‘Jaws 2’ by Hank Searls
As I mentioned, I read “Jaws” last summer and loved it. When I saw “Jaws 2” at a flea market in the fall, I immediately purchased it. However, I quickly noticed that Peter Benchley didn’t write the sequel.
According to the bookseller, Benchley became an ocean activist after “Jaws” (he wrote the book and the screenplay) had a role in demonizing sharks. When Universal Pictures approached him for the sequel, he refused.
“Jaws 2,” the book, has a very similar premise to “Jaws”: it takes place in the same location (the fictional New England town of Amity), but it’s the female great white that’s attacking the summer tourists, and she’s bigger and likely hungrier!
I loved Benchley’s writing, so we’ll see how the sequel holds up. I do see Benchley has written other “shark” books, so maybe those will be on my list for next summer!
‘Florence Adler Swims Forever’ by Rachel Beanland
USA Today named this book a PERFECT summer read!
This book follows Esther and Joseph Adler, who rent their house out to vacationers escaping to “America’s Playground” and move into the small apartment above their bakery each summer.
Despite the cramped quarters, this is the apartment where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and it always feels like home.
Now, Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel, and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy.
After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams. Esther only wants to keep her daughters close and safe, but some matters are beyond her control: there’s Fannie’s risky pregnancy–not to mention her always-scheming husband, Isaac–and the fact that the handsome heir of a hotel notorious for its anti-Semitic policies seems to be in love with Florence.
When tragedy strikes, Esther makes the shocking decision to hide the truth — at least until Fannie’s baby is born — and pulls the family into an elaborate web of secret-keeping and lies, bringing long-buried tensions to the surface that reveal how quickly the act of protecting those we love can turn into betrayal.
I’ve admittedly had this one on my shelf for years, and although I did buy it, I think I’m a little intimidated by the heavy topics it might tackle… will this be the summer I finally read it? I think so!
‘My Summer Darlings’ by May Cobb
May Cobb, the writer behind “The Hunting Wives” (book-turned-TV-show), which I loved, is back with another steamy read.
This story is about Jen Hansen, Kittie Spears, and Cynthia Nichols, who have been friends since childhood. They are now approaching forty, and their lives have changed, but their insular East Texas town has not. They stay sane by drinking wine in the afternoons, dishing about other women in the neighborhood, and bonding over the heartache of their encroaching middle age and the raising of ungrateful teens.
Then Will Harding comes to town, moving into one of the neighborhood’s grandest homes. Mysterious and charming, he seems to be the answer to every woman’s prayers. He’s a source of fascination for Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia, but none of them is ready for the way Will disrupts their lives.
As Will grows closer to each of the women, their fascination twists into obsession, threatening their friendships and their families. When he abruptly pulls away, each woman scrambles to discover the source of his affection. But what they’ll uncover is far more sinister and deadly than any of them could have ever imagined.
There’s nothing like a little summer thriller!
‘Two Truths and a Lie’ by Meg Mitchell Moore
If you’re looking for a summer drama…
Truth: Sherri Griffin and her daughter, Katie, have recently moved to the idyllic beach town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Rebecca Coleman, widely acknowledged as the former leader of the Newburyport Mom Squad (having stepped back since her husband’s shocking and tragic death eighteen months ago), has made a surprising effort to include these newcomers in typically closed-group activities. Rebecca’s teenage daughter, Alexa, has even been spotted babysitting Katie.
Truth: Alexa has time on her hands because of a recent falling-out with her longtime best friends for reasons no one knows–but everyone suspects have to do with Alexa’s highly popular and increasingly successful YouTube channel. Katie Griffin, who at age 11 probably doesn’t need a babysitter anymore, can’t be left alone because she has terrifying nightmares that don’t seem to jibe with the vague story Sherri has floated about the “bad divorce” she left behind in Ohio. Rebecca Coleman has been spending a lot of time with Sherri, it’s true, but she’s also been spending time with someone else she doesn’t want the Mom Squad to know about just yet.
Lie: Rebecca Coleman doesn’t have a new man in her life, and definitely not someone connected to the Mom Squad. Alexa is not seeing anyone new herself and is planning to shut down her YouTube channel before attending college in the fall. Sherri Griffin’s real name is Sherri Griffin, and a bad divorce is all she’s running from.
This one sounds like “Real Housewives” in book form, which I’m not against!
‘Summer Sisters’ by Judy Blume
It’s been YEARS since I’ve read anything by Judy Blume, so when I saw this, I immediately added it to my cart.
This book takes place in the summer of 1977. Victoria Leonard’s world changed forever when Caitlin Somers chose her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomes Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege and sweeping her away on vacations to Martha’s Vineyard, an enchanting place where the two friends become “summer sisters.”
Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin begs Vix to come to her wedding as her maid of honor. And Vix knows she will go — because she wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend — her summer sister — still has the power to break her heart.
This had me at “vacations to Martha’s Vineyard!”
‘Sandwich’ by Catherine Newman
This book has gotten such great reviews, but I was hesitant about it for so long (anything super popular makes me hesitate)… and finally just bought it (the $5 books on Thriftbooks make decisions much easier).
“Sandwich” is about how Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and — thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing — septic, too.
This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past–except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause) Her body is changing — her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.
It’s one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.
The Nantucket Series by Elin Hilderbrand
I love Elin Hilderbrand, but I admittedly get frustrated when books are “loosely” in a series. Several of her books can be read as standalones, but I want to read them in order if they are at all part of a series.
Well, not knowing there was a series, I read “The Perfect Couple” (book 3 of 4) during the pandemic, and then when Hilderbrand announced she was stepping away from writing beach reads, I freaked out and panic-pre-ordered “Swan Song,” (book 4 of 4), which has been sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to read books 1 and 2 of the series.
So, I finally just ordered them and can actually polish off this series! Here are the book titles in the correct order, if you’re curious:
Book 1: “A Summer Affair” – Captures the love, loss, and limbo of an illicit romance and unchecked passion, taking us on a brave and breathless journey into the heart of a modern woman.
Book 2: “The Castaways” – An intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.
Book 3: “The Perfect Couple” – A quintessential summer read about the many ways family can fill our lives with love – if they don’t kill us first.
Book 4: “Swan Song” – A propulsive medley of glittering gatherings, sun-soaked drama, wisdom, and heart, featuring the return of some of her most beloved characters, including, most importantly, the beautiful and timeless island of Nantucket itself.
… And that’s my summer stack! Will I read them all? Maybe?! I’ll report back 🙂
What’s in your summer stack?
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